[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S1981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MONTENEGRO'S ACCESSION INTO NATO

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, at the end of the Cold War, many 
wondered whether NATO could or should survive absent the glaring threat 
from the Soviet Union, which tied together a diverse coalition of 
Western countries. That Soviet threat held the alliance together 
through myriad issues and challenges of burden sharing, nuclear 
doctrine, and how to balance the roles of the European Union and a 
security alliance.
  The United States, as a global superpower, was at times criticized 
for not paying enough attention to the alliance and at other times for 
its heavyhanded leadership.
  When the Berlin Wall came down, NATO was forced to evolve. At its 
core, the alliance is not only about defeating a common threat but also 
about common values.
  When our Nation was attacked on September 11, NATO acted on September 
12 and invoked article 5 of the Washington Treaty for the first time in 
history, and NATO partners have worked to assist us in the war on 
terror ever since.
  With Russia's resurgence and quest for renewed greater power status, 
NATO has given notice that it will stand up for Western democracies, as 
well, and has continued to do so.
  Let's be clear. President Putin mourns the fall of the Soviet Union. 
He is intent on using all elements of national power to expand Russia's 
sphere of influence. He is also threatened by the examples of 
representative democracies anywhere near Russia's borders, and he is 
accordingly trying to intimidate other nations from seeking entry into 
the alliance.
  The Partnership for Peace, established in 1994, has given newly 
independent states a path toward developing capabilities that would 
bind them closer to the democracies of the West. It has given them 
something to strive for. Through the use of the Membership Action Plan, 
NATO is capable of setting forth the various reforms required for 
membership of those countries that aspire to join the alliance.
  This is the path Poland took--and Romania, the Czech Republic, and so 
many of our friends in Eastern Europe. Today it is the path Montenegro 
is taking.
  A positive vote on the NATO accession treaty that is before us tells 
those countries that complete NATO member action plans that this 
undertaking, while difficult, is not futile.
  Let us remember that we face a variety of threats in the world--from 
ISIL to the Syrian civil war to China's military buildup and 
territorial ambitions--and our European allies face many threats as 
well.
  NATO remains an incredibly valuable alliance. It is an alliance, 
however, that must be sustained. That is why we ask our partners to 
meet their commitments to NATO by spending 2 percent of GDP on defense 
so the alliance can improve its capabilities, and that is why we must 
meet our own commitments, including voting yes on the accession treaty 
before the Senate today.

                          ____________________